Fabulous Feast, April 27, 2013

This evening we held a dinner party for Mark's parents, Mike and Ann Groshek, and their friends, Ran and Mary Gardner, John and Barbara Moran, Ann and Marlon Weaver, and Frank and Susan King.

We started with the Smoked Salmon with Faux Caviar and White Chocolate Wasabi  Sauce from Top Chef, as an appetizer.  We have always found this to be a 5, and it still is!  Served with Gruet Blanc de Noirs, a lovely, cost-effective sparkling wine from New Mexico.

The amuse bouche was the Pea Pancakes from the April 2013 Bon Appetit.  This still gets a 5.  Served with Chateau La Rame Bordeaux Blanc 2010.

The next course is the Halibut and Shrimp in Minted Broth from the May 2013 Cooking Light.  We still give this a 5.  Served with Damilano Langhe Arneis 2011.

The next course is the still fabulous Spring Panzanella from the April 2012 Food and Wine, another 5!  Served with the Chateau La Rame Bordeaux Blanc 2010.

The main course is Lamb Roast with Mustard Sauce, from the April 2013 Food and Wine.  This gets a 5 again!  Served with a wonderful 2005 Bordeaux, Chateau Lafon-Rochet Saint Estephe.  The wine is a sublime match!

Dessert is the new recipe this evening--Syllabub with Strawberries and Black Pepper, from the NPR website.  Everything else we served this evening was something we had rated a 5, and this is another 5!  Served with a  perfect match, the Carod Fréres Clairette de Dies.

New recipe, March 24, 2013

Our friends Paulanne and Diane joined us for dinner. They brought a lively canapé of smoked salmon and host cheese on cucumber, and a truffled pecorino. We didn't make these, but they get s 5! Served with Pascal Doquet 1er Cru Rose Champagne.

The second course was the Spring Panzanella with Asparagus from the April 2012 Food and Wine. Shows off the beautiful watermelon radishes, and still gets a 5! Served with Benziger North Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2011.

The new dish is the Lamb Roast with Mustard Sauce, from the April 2013 Food and Wine. The filling, made from ground lamb and fennel with spices, makes this dish a 5! Served with a spectacular match, the Labastide Dauzac Margaux 2005 (thank you Anne Trégloze!).

Dessert was the wonderful Molten Chocolate Cake with Caramel Filling from the September 2008 Food and Wine.  5 before, still a 5!
Served with KWV Tawny Port, a great match.